Abstract
Taorong-type Baijiu is an innovative flavour of Baijiu, its fermentation pattern and its response mechanism with amino acids are not clear. Therefore, shotgun metagenomics and metabolomics were combined to analyse this issues. The results showed that the fermentation process could be divided into three phases, the microbial diversity exhibited an initial increase, followed by a subsequent decrease, reaching a peak at 7 d. Pichia kudriavzevii, Paecilomyces variotii and Ligilactobacillus acidipiscis were the dominant microorganisms in the pre-fermentation phase, while in the middle and late-fermentation the dominant microorganisms shifted to Acetilactobacillus jinshanensis and Lactobacillus acetotolerans. Correlation analysis showed that pH, starch and reducing sugars were the main drivers in the pre-fermentation phase. Concurrently, Various amino acids, such as Val and Glu, accumulate while also promoting the succession of Baijiu microbiota and the production of flavouring substances. This results will provide a certain theoretical basis for the standardised production of Baijiu.